Automatic train-stop.



W. E. LAWN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION TILED AUG.16, 1913.

1,1 10,214, Patented Sept. 8, 19141 a sums-sum 1.

mmnon R HOW/(am E. L arr ATTORNEYS W. E. LAWN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION rum) AUG.16,1913.

1,1 10,214, Patented Sept. 8; 1914;

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

W. E. LAWN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION rum: 100.10, 1913.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M M W N I if/Y/fam. Larrrw ATTORNEYS UNITED s rarns PATENT caries.

WILLIAM E. LAWN. or ROCHESTER. NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC RAILROAD APPLIANCES COMPANY, 1 150., or socnnsrsn. NEVI YORK. A conron arrow or NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-STOP.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VILLLAM E. LAWN, a citizen of the United'States, and-a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Train-Stop, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to railway equipment and has particular reference to means for controlling automatically a running train when by inadvertence or otherwise the engineer may have disregarded a danger signal.- 1 V i Among the objects-of the invention, there fore, is to produce a device of the character indicated which will serve in a certain and reliable manner to cause the application of the usual. air brakes when a signal is set at the danger'point, the mechanism being operable from the signal mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to operate a throttle lever to shut off the steam and open' a pipe leadingto, the sand box so that sand may be applied to.the rails simultaneously with the shutting 'ofi of the steam and substantially simultaneously with the application of the brakes.

Theforegoing and other ob]'ects of the invention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimedand illustrated in the drawings forming apart of this specification in which like characters of reference'in dicate corresponding. parts in all the views, and in which, i 4 V Figure 1' is a. side elevation, partly in secticn. of the front part of aconventional form of railroad locomotive having my improvements attached thereto; Fig. 2 is .{L' front elevation of thesame; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a modified means of application; Fig. l is a front elevation of the air pipe detachable connection and supporting means therefor: F 5 is a side view of the same: and Fig. 6 is a plan view.

The several parts of the apparatus may be made of any suitable materialsand the relative sizes and proportions of the same may be varied to a certain extent without departing from the spirit of the invention hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

At 10 is shown a locomotive of any suitable t vpeand equipped with the sual air make mechanism including the train line Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept 8 1914 Application filed August 16, 1913. Serial No. 785,027.

11. is intended tobe given an interpretation br ad enough to cover any vehicle equipped with air brakes and to which mv improvement may be applied. e The train line 11 will be understood a being connected in'the usual .way with the air brakes and controlled by the engineers The term locomotive as used hereinvalve as usual, but these parts of the mechanism, not constitutin parts of the invention, are notillustrate The locomotive is indicated as adapted to run upon a track 12 and along which will be arranged any suitable "signal mechanism and as many track members or obstaclesfor,

cooperation with my improved apparatus as may be required by the operating conditions of the road.

Located at any convenient placeon the mall coupled together by means of the usual form of pipe coupling 19.

The frame 15 comprises braces 'ZO'and 21 extending laterally from the upright or post 15', and the brace 20 extends therefrom upwardly and the other downwardly as shown in Fig. 4. These braces serve respectively to support the pipe sections 17 and 18 in normal definite position with respect to the pipe 14 and the bracket. and when in normal position they will serve to hold the coupling 19 outward to a suitable distance from the end of thebeam 13 and preferably beyond the normal bounds of toward the front or direction in which the locomotive is running. The position. of the coupling also 1s such as to define a vertical plane parallel tothe side of the locomotive,

but as to this I do'not wish to be limited in practice.

From .what has been stated above it will be understood that if the coupling 19 comes into engagement with any obstacle, the tendencywould be for the coupling to be forced rearwardly toward the center of the curvatureof the members 17. and 18 causing the couplingto separate or part. The obstacle may be of any construction or nature suitable for its purpose and may be brought into operative position by any suitable means. As shown herein, however, I employ an obstacle 22 mounted upon a post 23 and adapted to swing upon ahorizontal pivot 2i thereon, the same being connected by a link 25 to some movable part of the switch or signal mechanism indicated generically at 26. As shown in Fig. 2 the obstacle 22 is in position to. engage the coupling 19, having been so set by the setting of the switch or si nal in the usual way. The obstacle 22', therefore, projects across the path of the coupling 19 and preferably'lying in a plane at right angles to the aforesaid vertical plane of the coupling. If the engineer be incapacitated or for any reason fails to observe the signal intended to direct him to stop before reaching the obstacle 22, saidobstacle by being struck by the coupling 19 will cause the coupling to part and the train line to be, bled.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the auxiliary air line and its coupling 19 may be located on any other part of the locomotive and 'upon the pilot beam and may be arranged for cooperation with the locomotive running in either direction.

Since. the coupling 19 projects laterally "from the locomotive beyond its normal bounds, it is essential that the frame 15 may be swung around its pivot pipe 14 so as to bring it within'the'side' limits of the loco- I .motive especially for the purpose of entering the round house or other close places. It is 'set at the danger point. the 'frame 15, therefore, so as to bring the also essential in devices of this character for the engineer to be permitted to advance under orders even though the signal may be In order to swing coupling 19 out of position to engage the obstacle 22, I arrange a crank 27 so as to be operated by a lever mechanism shown at 28,.so-that the engineer may swing the frame and coupling member's around the axis of the vertical "pipe 14, as shown especially in Fig. 6. A

The obstacle 22 may be provided with any y suitable form of cushion to relieve the shock ,jincident to the blow thereupon of the conpling 19. Such cushion may be indicated broadly a spring or springs 22 applied adjacent the joint 22 formed in the obstacle. bn't in any "event the joint and the cushion must'have'force and rigidity enough to insurethe parting of the coupling 19 under all operating conditions. The members 17 and 18 of the coupling are also provided respectively -with cushioning means in the form of coil springs ll" and 18 which are for the purpose of relieving the tendency for the impact between the coupling and the obstacle to break the coupling supports or rupture the pipes at. the shoulders 17 and 18* where they connect respectively to the hori- Zontal portions ]7" and 18 of the pipe connections. Said springs 17' and 18 are con necled at their ends securely by clamps 28 to the respective flexible pipe members. The intermediate flexible pipe sections 17 and 18* are designed for the purpose of permit-' ting the bracket 15 and its braces 20 and 21 to swing the coupling around, as indicated in Fig. (3, but without turning the pipe sec tion 14 on its axis.

At 29 I show a steam pipe leading from the boiler to the pump 30 which is for the purpose of maintaining the air line properly supplied in the usual manner. At 31 is an air pipe leading from the train line to the sand box, the purpose of which is to cause 1 sand to flow in a sort of injector action from the sand box 32 when the bra lies are applied. At 33 I show a small auxiliary cylinder adapted to be charged with compressed air through a pipe 34 for the purpose of maintaming a piston 35 forced against a strong spring 36 toward the one end of the cylinder. Said piston is connected with a chain 37 leading from the throttle lever 38 to a valve stem 39 pertaining to the pipe 31. The valve 39 is normally closed. and with the piston 35 forced against the spring 36 by the normal air pressure in thecsvsteintheflexible connection 37' is normally slack enough to enable the engineer to have the usual control of the throttle lever. The position indicated in Fig. 1 may be understood to be that of the open throttle,,and hence the engineer may shove the throttle lever forwardly for the purpose of shutting off the steam without any interference or resistance due to the chain 37. If, however, the

automatic stopping devices above described I should be brought into operation and the air released from the system of pipes and the at the side of and parallel to the side of the locomotive and in the form of an arc of a circle with the convexity toward the front,'and an obstacle adapted to be set simultaneously with the setting of the signal at a danger point and adapted to lie at right angles to the plane of the coupling members and to be struck thereby to disc nnect said coupling members.

2. In an automatic train stop, the combination with the usual air line, of an aux iliary air line including liexible coupling members and a coupling therefor. said coupling inen'ibers occupying a normal position in the arc of a circle with the convexity thereof toward the front, and an obstacle adapted to be set at a danger point in accordance with the danger signal and adapted to be struck by the coupling to serve to force the coupling toward the center of curvature of the arc of said coupling members to automatically disconnect the coupling.

3. In a device of the class set forth, the combination with the usual air line, of an auxiliary air line including a rigid member and flexible members connected therewith, coupling "leans attached to said flexible members and serving to normally connect them together in curved position, the convexity of the curve being toward the front, a supporting bracket for the flexible coupling members journaled upon the rigid portion of the auxiliary air line, and means under the control of the engineer for swinging the bracket and flexible members around the axis of said rigid member, substantially as set forth.

4. In a device of the character set forth. the combination with the usual main air line, of an auxiliary air line comprising a rigid vertical pipe member, means to secure Hzihl pipe member in fixed position, a

pair of flexible coupling members normally mnnccted in a curve with the convexity l thereof forward; a supporting bracket journaleil upon said vertical pipe member, means to swing the supporting bracket around the axis of the rigid member to change the position of the coupling members, and a pair of intermediate flexible pipe connections between the aforesaid flexible members and the rigid pipe member, substantially as set forth.

In an automatic train stop, the combination with the usual train line, a throttle lever and sanding devices, of an auxiliary air pipe including coupling members, an obstacle adapted to be struck by the coupling members to partthe same when the danger signal is set and thereby releasing the air from the system of air pipes, an auxiliary cylinder in connection. with the air pipes and normally charged with compressed air therefrom, a flexible member having its ends connected to the throttle le- .\'er and said sanding devices, and means connecting the intermediate portion of the flexible member and said auxiliary cylinder and serving to shut off the steam and start the flow of sand simultaneously with the operation of the brakes incident to the release of air from the train line.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM LAWN.

Witnesses:

GEO. L. BEELEB, PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. c." 

